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Thursday March 28, 2024

Link between roti and faith

By Zafar Alam Sarwar
August 02, 2018

Almost every citizen feeling the pinch of food price hike every now and then says a common man’s life is never as sweet or pleasant as a ruler’s. “To me democracy is nothing but hypocrisy; they role in billions while I have to borrow money for a bread.”

It’s not for the first the first time that bread (‘roti’) price has gone up very high. It rose about 10 months ago also. Last September the price of a 20-kilo bag of wheat flour soared 45 rupees followed by another 35 rupees in the beginning of November. Wheat price rose from Rs1270 to Rs1340. So, the same bag sold from Rs800 to Rs850. Who suffered the most?

The majority of people lost confidence in leaders because of what they call their wrong-doings based on self-interest.

“We don’t want such dirty politics, it doesn’t solve any of our problems -- social, economic, health and educational: We want bread with honour and free education for our children,” say the citizens.

The olds, who have lived through 16 regimes, whisper: “These self-seekers have pledged our present and future generations by obtaining International Monetary Fund worth billions on the lender’s conditions; and why the poor masses should pay for the electricity and the gas pilfered by the rich mill owners as well as influential political persons.

The sufferers comprehend various issues in their own way, such as unemployment and poverty. The central point of their thinking revolves round ‘roti’ -- one of the basic necessities of human beings.

The common people want that power-hungry politicians should stop juggling with words and shuffling as card-players. “They should better join hands with peasants and labourers for an urgently needed socio-economic change: Only then will begin the journey to self-reliance, self-sufficiency and freedom from slavery to any foreign power.”

Interestingly, the suffering people of Sindh, Balochistan, KP and the Punjab have revived deep interest in revolutionary ideas of the well-renowned philosopher and poet Hazrat Baba Fariduddin Ganj Shakkar, which they believe will sooner rather than later help solve the common man’s social and economic problems and, at the same time, awaken the slumbering society to Islam---the most progressive religion of the world.

There’s no denying the fact that popularly respected Baba Ganj Shakkar was one of the most revolutionary thinkers and poets of his time: He understood, practiced and spread the spirit of Islam in the sub-continent.

He was against poverty and illiteracy: That’s why his powerful and thought provoking poetry appeals to the downtrodden of the 21st century also. One of his Punjabi couplets says: “Punj rukan Islam dey, tey chhewan Farida tuk; jey na labhey chhewan , tey punjey yee jaandey muk (There are five articles of Islam; but O Farida there’s also a sixth article, and that’s ‘roti’; if man doesn’t find the sixth one, he forgets the rest).

Educated young and old citizens, who read the Quran, study the Quran, and practice the Message of the Quran, fully comprehend the meaning of what Baba Ganj Shakkar said long time ago. ‘Roti’ is one of basic needs of a human to survive---and worship one true God. Who will put an end to exploitation system to save the country and its masses.

-- zasarwar@hotmail.com